LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (WDVM) — A 79-year-old South Riding, Virginia woman is dead after an allegedly intoxicated driver struck the vehicle she was a passenger of on Christmas morning.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said the victim, Rashida Begum, was in a car with four other people, around 8:20 a.m. Wednesday in the area of John Mosby Highway (Route 50) near South Riding Boulevard. Their car was at a red light when it was struck from behind by a pickup truck. The sheriff’s office said Begum died at the scene. The other people in the car were all taken to the hospital, two people with life-threatening injuries and two people with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the pickup truck was charged with involuntary manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. The sheriff’s office identified the driver as Martin V. Chavez, 56 of Sterling. Chavez is held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on no bond. Chavez had a passenger, who was taken to the hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Investigator D. Lake at 703-777-1021.
